27th October 2009 / 1 Comment
Woman's Weekly /
9th March 1957
Well, it’s interesting that advertisers are STILL using the ‘man useless at housework/cooking’ line, but what really makes this interesting is the ‘Fuel Emergency Notice’ and the claim that the gas industry made the best use of the nation’s coal (issued, naturally, by the Gas Council). Of course, this all makes sense when you consider that coal was rationed from the outbreak of WW2 and that the ration wasn’t actually lifted until a year after this advert, in 1958…
Tags: blatant sexism, coal, cooking, Gas, Gas Council, household, retail, social history
13th October 2009 / 7 Comments
Woman's Own /
20th March 1970
Heh. This reminds me of the book of Microwave Cookery that my parents got with their Panasonic microwave in the early 90s, and I don’t recall the pictures looking particularly inviting in that book, either. Fresh is the order of the day at the moment, of course, although it’s wise to note that a lot of ‘fresh’ products may not actually be that fresh at all, and preservatives are added to lengthen shelf life. It may well be that you’re better off with frozen food for some items. Read the labels, folks.
Tags: cooking, Libbys, retail, social history